Caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati affirmed that the Lebanese army is ready to strengthen its presence in south Lebanon by around 10,000 soldiers, in cooperation with the UNIFIL.
“We took a decision in the cabinet to ask the UN Security Council to adopt a ceasefire resolution,” Mikati asserted, while emphasizing “full commitment to implementing Resolution 1701.”
“However, the army needs a lot of equipment and this is an essential issue for the implementation of resolution 1701,” he stressed in an interview with Al-Jazeera television on Tuesday.
The caretaker Prime Minister stated, “We have to agree on finishing the Taif Accord’s implementation, which entails extending the state’s sovereignty over its territory and the absence of weapons other than those with Lebanese legitimacy.”
Furthermore, Mikati reiterated that “international contacts are ongoing to reach a ceasefire, strengthen the army's role, and implement resolution 1701.”
He also revealed that, during his contacts with American authorities, he took “a kind of guarantee” to reduce escalation in the southern suburbs and Beirut.
“The Americans are serious about putting pressure on Israel to reach a ceasefire,” he continued.
On whether Lebanon has received guarantees that the airport and essential facilities will not be targeted, he said, “There are no guarantees at all, but the protection of these facilities is done through the measures taken to withdraw all pretexts.”
Mikati also refused to link resolution 1701 to resolutions such as 1559, concluding that “there is no need to talk about it since it will cause additional disagreements.”
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